Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder that results in the selective death both lower and upper motor neurons. The loss of motor neurons and the activation of the immune system form a vicious circle, and the role played by neuroinfl ammation, either positive or negative, is still subject to discussion with the support of the dual role or diff erentiated activation of microglia.

The fi ndings suggest that the active participation of both proand anti-infl ammatory cytokines in the implementation of the pathological process in ALS. In conditions of microglial activation, we noted the intense expression of pleiotropic IL-4 on the background of the moderate increase of expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, indicating that it does not perform a neuroprotective function and does not exclude its role in the induction of apoptosis